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2020 Ford Escape reveal

Sam Abuelsamid

Another day, another compact crossover utility vehicle introduction. Today, Ford is revealing the all-new 2020 Escape, the fourth-generation model to bear that badge. As Ford’s second best selling nameplate after the F-series pickups, the Escape is particularly important to the brand as works its way through a massive realignment from cars to utilities. Based on a first look at the new Escape, it looks like Ford is making a lot of the right moves with this model.

As Ford expands its SUV lineup with additional models, one has to wonder who are they going to sell them all to? In addition to the existing EcoSport, Escape, Edge, Explorer and Expedition, Ford is adding a revived Bronco, a more rugged, off-road oriented smaller model based on the Escape platform and a battery electric performance crossover.

In order to make room for these new entries, Ford realigning the Escape a bit to make it more focused (especially in the absence of a new Focus). Rather than trying to be all things to all customers, the Escape is now a more urban-oriented lifestyle vehicle, designed to appeal to those customers moving from cars that still want the key attributes of a utility such as the taller seating position.

Design

The Focus gets an even less truckish look that really has more of the new Focus that customers in other regions can still buy. The panels are smoother and less creased than before, but still very sculpted. In profile, especially with the chrome side glass trim, there is an unmistakable essence of the latest Mazda CX-5 and that’s a good thing. The cleaner lines, especially in the front have a decidedly more premium feel.

2020 Ford Escape reveal

Sam Abuelsamid

Ford’s global director of crossover and car design, Joel Piaskowski highlighted the profile of the front end in particular. From the side, the nose has a distinctly forward lean that Piaskowski referred to as a “shark-like profile”, a clear call back to decades of Mustangs.

The Escape is about 60 millimeters longer overall with 20 mm of extra wheelbase. One notable change from the last Escape is the rear bumper which is no longer integrated and hidden in the bodywork. By separating it from the surrounding painted bodywork and giving it a contrasting black finish, Piaskowski explained that it actually creates the appearance of a shorter rear overhang. The illusion does indeed work.

2020 Ford Escape reveal

Sam Abuelsamid

In keeping with the more urban orientation of the new Escape, the roofline is actually 10 mm lower than before. However, one of the best things that the Ford design team has done is to also lower the beltline, giving an increased glass to body ratio. In combination with the slimmer pillars that have been made possible by the use of higher strength steels including martensitic steel in the A-pillars, overall visibility from inside is significantly improved.

The cabin

The more upscale environment continues inside the cabin where the somewhat cluttered appearance of the previous generation has been discarded. Instead there is a much tidier layout that like many other recent models moves the central touchscreen display to an upright position atop the dashboard where it is closer to the driver’s line of sight. Most trim levels get a seven-inch touchscreen while the standard setup in base models is a non-touch 4.3-inch unit flanked by extra switches.

2020 Ford Escape reveal

Sam Abuelsamid

Proper rotary knobs are present for audio volume and tuning plus the climate control. A rotary knob on the center console controls the eight-speed automatic transmission. As with most new vehicles, a Qi-compatible wireless charging pad is available in the media bin at the front of the console along with a USB-C port. A USB-A port is in the center storage bin under the armrest and an additional pair of USB-A and C ports will be available for back seat riders. The new glove box design is large enough to accommodate a ten-inch tablet.

Base models get a cluster with two round analog gauges while the same 12.3 inch digital display offered in the Explorer, Mustang and Expedition is optional. Opting for the digital cluster means the driver will get lots of fancy animations when switching drive modes between normal, eco, sport, slippery and sand/snow.

The back seat has long been a pain point for Escape passengers, something that should be well addressed this time around. Ford has added a sliding mechanism that allows the back seat to move fore-aft by six inches. That’s something the Chevy Equinox has had since its first generation, but better late than never. The six-foot-two-inch Piaskowski demonstrated the newly available leg room by sitting comfortably behind five-eleven chief engineer Jim Hughes. Even with the seat all the way back, there was still room in the cargo area for four standard roll-aboard bags.

The 2020 Ford Escape can accommodate 4 standard carry-on bags even with the rear seats all the way back

Sam Abuelsamid

Under the hood

Back in 2005, the Escape was the first Ford vehicle to get a hybrid powertrain, a feature that carried over to the second-generation but it was dropped from the third-generation model. Instead, Ford installed the hybrid system in the C-Max along with its first plug-in hybrid system. Unfortunately, the C-Max wasn’t really designed for these systems and the installation was a bit of an afterthought. The 8.6-kWh battery in the C-Max Energi ended up stacked in the cargo area, consuming most of it.

This time around, as Ford has developed its new generation of platforms including the front-wheel-drive unibody that underpins the Escape, it has factored in electrification from the start. As with the larger Explorer and Aviator, room has been left for batteries under the passenger floor. As a result all variants of the Escape get the same cargo area with up to 65.4 cubic feet when the rear seats are folded flat.

2020 Ford Escape reveal

Sam Abuelsamid

North American models of the Escape will have four different powertrain options while overseas variants badged as the Kuga will also get some additional variants. For the home market, the Escape starts with a new 1.5-liter three-cylinder Ecoboost engine. A version of this powerplant launched in 2018 in the new Fiesta ST that we don’t get here because Americans don’t want to buy small cars anymore. For duty in the Escape, the three-cylinder gets a bit less power than the Fiesta ST with a still ample 180-hp and 177 lb-ft of torque. Thanks to the extra power and 200-pound weight reduction, the base Escape gets 10% cut in 0-60 time. The 1.5 is Ford’s first North American market engine with cylinder deactivation. The sensors and software continuously monitor, engine load and fuel consumption to optimize whether to run on two or all three cylinders.

The top engine is an updated version of the 2.0-liter Ecoboost with 250-hp and 275 lb-ft and a similar improvement in acceleration. Both gasoline fueled engines are paired with the same eight-speed automatic Ford has added to the Edge, Fusion and other models.

The 2020 Ford Escape hybrid has a more compact liquid-cooled lithium ion battery under the second-row seat

Sam Abuelsamid

On the electrification front, there are now two hybrid Escapes, one of which has a plug and a 14.4-kWh lithium ion battery for a 30-mile electric driving range. Both the hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants get a new 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle four cylinder and revamped fourth-generation hybrid drive unit. The larger four cylinder is said to provide more efficient operation with the Atkinson cycle than the outgoing 2.0 liter in the C-Max and Fusion.

The hybrid drive unit retains the same basic architecture as before with two motor-generators and planetary gear sets to provide electronic continuously variable transmission capability. However, everything has been optimized to reduce friction and improve overall efficiency. In addition, the power electronics unit has now been integrated into the transmission as GM did on the second-generation Volt several years ago. The integration makes the whole package smaller and lighter and dramatically reduces the high-voltage wiring requirements.

The HEV Escape has a 1.1-kWh lithium ion battery pack that is about the size of a large briefcase and sits under the right rear seat. To help make the package smaller, the prismatic Panasonic cells are now liquid cooled for the first time. Liquid cooling also has the advantage of not blowing hot air into the cabin, an issue some have complained about with the air-cooled battery in the Toyota Rav4 hybrid. Because the pack is so compact, Ford is able to offer all-wheel-drive on the hybrid.

2020 Ford Escape reveal

Sam Abuelsamid

The PHEV has a larger 14.4-kWh pack filled with liquid-cooled cells from Samsung. At nearly 50% larger than the current Fusion Energi battery, the Escape PHEV is expected to offer at least 30 miles of electric driving range. The larger pack however, stretches across the vehicle below the second row seat, precluding AWD.

The PHEV has four driver delectable operating modes, EV-Auto, EV-Now, EV-Later and EV-Charge. The auto modes lets the system determine the optimal use of engine and electric drive based on the conditions. As implied by the name, now forces the powertrain in to electric operation while later keeps the engine running and saves the battery for later if you want electric driving mode in a city center or residential neighborhood. Finally, charge mode, runs the engine and charges up the battery if its depleted and you want some electric capability later.

Ford isn’t talking fuel economy numbers until closer to launch this fall, but the HEV is projected have 198-hp from the combination of engine and electric motors. The extra power available from the larger battery in the PHEV will free up an additional 11-hp.

While fuel economy should improve across the board, Ford isn’t forgetting that utility customers sometimes like the ability to tow stuff as well. The hybrid and plug-in variants will be limited to a modest 1,500 pounds while the 1.5 can pull 2,000 pounds and 2.0-liter turbo will be able to handle up to 3,500 pounds.

The technology

In 2019, you really can’t introduce a completely new model without a comprehensive set of driver assist features as standard equipment and expect to be fully competitive. Of late, Ford has consistently been making its CoPilot360 package standard on each updated model and the Escape is no exception.

The standard active safety suite includes a forward looking camera, a pair of radar sensors in the rear corners and of course the backup camera that is now required by law on all new vehicles. These sensors enable forward collision alert, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring and cross traffic alert. Post-collision braking is also standard to apply the brakes after a crash to prevent the vehicle from rolling away if there is a secondary impact.

2020 Ford Escape reveal

Sam Abuelsamid

As on the Explorer and Edge, customers can also add a package with a forward looking radar that adds adaptive cruise control with full stop and go capability as well as a lane centering system. The basic lane keeping assist detects when the vehicle is drifting out of the lane and provides a nudge back into the lane. The centering system continuously tries to steer the vehicle down the middle of the lane. Unlike Cadillac’s Super Cruise, it’s not a hands-off system but it did work well when we tried it on the Lincoln Nautilus. The upgrade package also adds evasive steering assist to detect when a driver might be making an emergency maneuver to avoid an obstacle and it provides a bit of extra steering input to help.

The optional Active Park Assist 2.0 works with a ring of ultrasonic sensors to further automate the task of parallel or perpendicular parking. Like a number of premium brands, when the system is engaged, Escape drivers no longer need to do the shifting between drive and reverse or even touch the pedals as they did on the first generation of the Ford system. Just let the ultrasonic sensors find a suitable parking space as you slowly drive by and then hold down the parking button and the vehicle does the rest.

In keeping with Ford’s commitment to have 100% of their new vehicles in North America being connected by the end of 2019, the Escape gets Fordpass Connect as standard. A 4G LTE modem in the Escape enables a variety of services and a built-in WiFi hotspot allows up to 10 devices to connect and use the available bandwidth.

2020 Ford Escape reveal

Sam Abuelsamid

Customers might increasingly be shifting from cars to crossovers and SUVs, but the reality is those form factors are at the same time becoming ever more car-like. Companies like Ford might be adding more niche variants of utility models like the Bronco and the as-yet unnamed compact off-roader while the Escape becomes more like a taller Focus and the Explorer morphs into the modern family station wagon. The new Escape will continue production at Ford’s Louisville, Kentucky assembly plant and it goes on sale in fall 2019. It will also be available globally as the Kuga. No pricing is available yet.

Update: This text has been updated to show that ultrasonic sensors are not part of the standard CoPilot 360 package, but only come with the optional Active Parking Assist 2.0 system.